Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

US Devises ‘Influence Games’ for Working with Syria, Levant

By Barbara Slavin

When is a war game not a war game? When it is a “competitive influence” game. For three days earlier this month (May 15-17), more than 100 people met in Annapolis, Md. to brainstorm about devising such an exercise. The actual game is to be played this summer at an air base in Florida. If […]

The Pivot from Asia

By Derek Reveron

Since the latest US defense strategy was unveiled in January, a persistent headline has been the US pivot to Asia. As President Obama wrote in the document’s foreword, “As we end today’s wars, we will focus on a broader range of challenges and opportunities, including the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.”

The NATO Chicago Summit: Outcomes and the Way Ahead

By Jason Harmala

The Atlantic Council held a half-day conference on May 24 to assess the outcomes of the NATO summit in Chicago this month and to consider NATO’s next steps.

Iran Needs Nuclear Talks To Stabilize Currency

By Barbara Slavin

In the lead-up to today’s negotiations in Baghdad, Iranian officials have labored to insist that they do not need a nuclear agreement with the international community and that their economy can survive more punishment.

Why Centcom Chief Really Wanted Third Aircraft Carrier in the Gulf

By Barbara Slavin

Eli Lake of the Daily Beast reports that Gen. James Mattis, the head of US Central Command, unsuccessfully sought permission to send a third US aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf region in January in an effort to deter Iran from escalating tensions in the Gulf.

Change Management and Cultural Transformation in NATO

By Edgar Buckley and Nancy DeViney

In an Atlantic Council issue brief, “Change Management and Cultural Transformation in NATO: Lessons from the Public and Private Sectors,” Edgar Buckley, former assistant secretary general of NATO, and Nancy DeViney, vice president for Organizational Change Management at IBM argue that applying lessons learned from change management and cultural transformation experiences from both the public […]

The Next Step for Arms Control: A Nuclear Control Regime

By Jason Harmala

On May 14, 2012, the Atlantic Council hosted a roundtable with Richard Burt and Jan Lodal to discuss proposals put forward in their recent joint paper ‘The Next Step for Arms Control: A Nuclear Control Regime.’

Report Launch: Anchoring the Alliance

On May 14, the Atlantic Council launched Anchoring the Alliance, a new report authored by R. Nicholas Burns, former US undersecretary of state, permanent representative to NATO, and current Atlantic Council board director.

It’s Time to Put the Nuclear Issue Behind Us

By George Robertson, Franklin C. Miller, and Kori Schake

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, authors Lord Robertson, Franklin C. Miller, and Kori Schake urge NATO heads of states to put nuclear issues behind them when they gather in Chicago this week. They argue that it is time to halt the internecine warfare which distracts Western national security experts, and has no obvious […]

Ballistic Missile Defense Cooperation: How the US Can Kick-Start Smart Defense

By Michael Hannan

With the shift in priorities to the Pacific and the Arabian Gulf outlined in the president’s new Defense Strategy Guidance, it is critical for the US to operationalize its international partnerships in order to further our national interests. With growing fiscal constraints faced by the United States military, we must call on historic allies and […]